CDC: More than one-fifth of U.S. adults report disabilities

With the baby boomer population aging, among other factors, the number of U.S. citizens reporting disabilities has climbed substantially of late, and it's expected to keep expanding over the next two decades. That's the conclusion drawn by the CDC, which estimates in a new report that more than one in five American adults is reporting that they have a disability.

The number of U.S. adults reporting that they have a disability grew 3.4 million between 1999 and 2005, the agency found. At this point, 47.5 million people, or almost 22 percent of the population, report a disability. The most common complaints are heart disease, arthritis, rheumatism, and back and spinal problems.

One interesting statistic drawn from the report was that the number of women reporting disabilities was consistently higher than the number of men. The CDC found that 24.4 percent of women reported having disabilities, compared with 19.9 percent of men, regardless of age. Since women typically live longer than men, on average, it makes one wonder how this data fits in. (I'm going to ask the CDC, and I'll let you know what I find out.)

To get more data from the report:
- read this Health Leaders Media piece [1]
- read the CDC press release [2]

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